The Mid-Autumn Festival, which marks the end of the autumn harvest, is one of the most important celebrations in Chinese culture and dates back thousands of years ago. The festival is typically celebrated when the moon is full, hence why it is also called the Moon Festival. It is meant to bring together families with fun festivities for everyone to enjoy.
The Chinese program and the Chinese Language and Culture Club at BGSU collaborated to host the event with some of the many traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Those in attendance were able to share Mooncakes, a traditional Chinese pastry that is a popular staple of the festival, as well as Kungfu tea. Guests could also make their own lanterns, another tradition of the festival.
Students interested in learning Chinese culture were able to sing songs and recite poems in Chinese during the opening of the event. Dr. Min Yang, assistant professor in the Chinese program at BGSU, helped students to prepare for their performance.
“Every year, we celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival and spring festival next semester. Last year we started to ask the students to do something. The students are learning the Chinese language and they had two or three weeks to prepare. They really did an excellent job,” said Yang.
The festival integrated important aspects of Chinese culture while creating an environment that brings everyone together. Everyone took part in the activities while learning about how each one is important to the culture.
“We have found that we have more activities that are open to the community and BGSU. We want to be the bridge between different cultures,” said Yang. “We want to be all inclusive with all the students.”
The festival was not only open to BGSU students and staff, but their families as well. This reinforced the main philosophy of the festival: to get together with loved ones.
“This event is a family gathering, just like Thanksgiving. So, I told students if your parents are here, invite them. And the community, they bring their kids,” said Yang. “My family is in China, so for me, doing this with the students, it’s just like family. I want students to feel within the program like they’re at home.”
Other performances during the festival included a presentation of Chinese martial arts, also referred to as kung fu or kuoshu. Along with the demonstration, the event provided guests with the history of kung fu and the hard work and focus that comes with learning the art.
Students watching their peers perform the traditional Chinese pieces said it was a memorable part of the experience.
“I really liked watching my classmates sing in Chinese. It was also my job to read that poem. What I actually love though is that they brought Mooncakes,” said Edison, a student of the Asian studies program at BGSU.
Those a part of the Chinese Culture Club at BGSU were excited to see how the event turned out and the amount of people who came to be a part of the festivities.
“My favorite part was seeing the turnout, because this is our first real event of the year…and seeing the students perform the traditional pieces was definitely really cool,” said Olivia Mazurek, president of the Chinese Culture Club.
Planning events like the Mid-Autumn festival helped students in the Chinese Culture Club to have hands-on experience learning the traditions and connecting with the history.
“I’ve been a part of the Chinese Culture Club for about three years now, since I came here. I wasn’t really into it at first because with being adopted it just wasn’t a part of my childhood. Coming to college I started reconnecting with it,” said Grace Baumgardener, a biology student at BGSU.
The Mid-Autumn Festival symbolizes bringing communities together and celebrating what is in store for the upcoming year.
